Furnace for roasting and distilling refractory ores



(No Model.)

A. SPIBR. PURNAGE Pon ROASTING AND DISTILLING REFRAGTORY GRES.

No. 516,126. Patented Mar. 6, 1894.

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Nrrnn S'rrnsf ANTON SPIER, OF BOULDER, COLORADO.

FURNACE FOR ROASTlNG AND D SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 516,126, dated March 6, 1894.

'Application filed March 22,'1893.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON SPIER, of Boulder, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Furnaces for and Processes of Roasting and DistillingRefractory Orcs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebein g had to the accornpany1ngdrawing,forming part of this specication.

My invention relates to an improved fur nace and process for treating refractory ores, such as silvanite, and other refractory gold and silver bearing minerals, the object being to free such ores of the gold, silver, or other valuable metals, and further to collect the minerals of a volatile nature, which in an ordinary furnace, to a large extent vaporize and are lost.

In carrying out my invention, one of the main features is the utmost possible exclusion of air from the ore retort during the period in which the chemical action takes place in the ore, and a reference to the drawing forming a part of this specification, (and which is a vertical section,) will illustrate the means by which I obtain the desired exclusion of air from the retort.

In the treatment of various varieties of ores, Some may be found to receivebetter treatment in a retort of a different construction from that in which another variety is treated, and for this reason I have shown in the draw ing three distinct arrangements ot' the retort, and air tight construction,

All the arrangements shown in the drawing I have found to give very satisfactory results in working refractory gold and silver ores. I wish it understood, however, that I do not conne myself to any of the arrangements shown, as others may be used with equally successful results.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents the furnace, provided with an ordinary tire chamber 2 and .grate 3. Located above the tire chambers are the three retorts, 4c, 5 and 6. I will describe the said retorts in order. The

retortd is incased within a tank 7, said retort being provided with a movable door 8, which, when the retort has been filled, and is Serial No. 467,173- (No model.)

inserted into the tank 7, is at the bottom of the tank and is immersed in a sufficient quantity of molten lead 9, or its equivalent, to form an air tight surrounding for the doorS, so that any fumes that escape from the retort around the door, necessarily pass through the molten lead or its equivalent, and in doing so it has been demonstrated that any particles et gold and silver, from their strong affinity for the molten metal will remain in the bottom of the tank in the lead, while the fumes Will rise and pass out through a pipe 10, to a condenser ll. The condenser 11 has connection with a Water supply pipe 12, and is provided with an over-How pipe 13, so arranged that the condenser is always filled with Water. 14 are partitions extending upward from the bottom of the condenser, the object of the partitions being to divide the condenser oii into various compartments so that the lighter and heavier alloys in the fumes will be divided off separately, the heavier falling into the first compartment, and the lighter into the last. The retort 5 is provided with a cover 15, and with aring chamber 16, in which chamber the molten lead or its equivalent is contained. Above the ring chamber is a cover 17, to which the condenser pipe 10 is connected. In the re tort 6 is still another form, which consists oi' a pipe 18, leading from the retort to a separate tank 19, placed directly over the fire, said tank containingthe moltenlead through which the fumes must pass from the retort through the pipe 18 before passing into the condenser pipe 10.

In carrying out my process, l have found the best results where the Work is carried on with a heat of about 450 centigrade, the heat being kept at a lower degree for a necessary length of time to avoid the building of oxysulphurets, if the ore should contain sulphur., As soon as the oxygenation has taken place, the heat is increased and drives oft the alloys in vapor through the lead to the condenser, Where said vapor is distilled,on passing into the Water.

lVith some minerals, it may be found disadvantageous to use lead, as a means of forming air tight connection, and therefore I do not confine myself to the use of this metal,

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for it is evident that there are other metals or compositions such as tin, antimonyor quicksilver` that would accomplish the same result, and with some ores might be found to Work more satisfacto rily.

The prime feature of my invention is the, as near as practical, total exclusion of air from the apparatus during the process of roasting and distilling the fumes, and I do not desire to be conned to any precise means of accomplishing this result, for with some ores, in the roasting of which there Would be 11o loss in value, the communication may be direct to the condenser, without passing through a molten seal.

I claim as my invention- 1. The improved process of treating ores ANTON SPIER.

` In presence of CHARLES A. RUSSELL, J. L. MOORHEAD. 

